70 Aussie Slang Words and sayings – Your Australian Road Trip Guide

This post may contain affiliate links. We strongly believe in only featuring products, services, brands, stores, and sites that we use or have used ourselves.

We may earn a commission if you click on links to buy the product or book the service. Please see our Information and Affiliate Disclaimer for more information

You have planned your perfect Australian road trip. You have planned the ideal route, booked the right vehicle, and started planning the activities and experiences you can do along the way.

Meanwhile, there may have been one thing you have overlooked. Our language. In Australia we like to have shortened or “slang” terms for a lot of different things. And as a visitor to Australia, this may sometimes make you a little confused.

Handy Aussie slang words to know on a vacation or road trip in Australia

I have put together a list of handy Aussie slang words that you may come across when on a road trip in Australia. I have included some terms we use for car parts, general language and slang words for some common things we use or need on vacation.

Now I need to let you know to add more confusion, Aussie slang words and sayings may be slightly different depending on what state you are in. I have included as much detail as possible. Hopefully this prepares you, no matter where you visit within this gorgeous country.

1. A Cold One – more often that not this is meaning beer
2. Arvo – referring to the Afternoon
3. Bail – To leave some where , or cancel plans
4. Barbie – Barbecue or grill (not the toy doll)
5. Bathers – Swimsuit. Please note, that in some states that these may also be referred to as togs.
6. Beauty – often in the statement “you beauty“, meaning great or good one.
7. Bingle – a minor car accident
8. Bloody – paired with other words instead of the word very. e.g bloody awful or bloody awesome. It has no relation to actual blood.
9. Bloody oath – Yes, absolutely, or that’s very true
10. Bogan – Someone who’s not very sophisticated
11. Bonnet – the hood of a car
12. Boot – the trunk of a car
13. Booze Bus – Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers. This is where you will also have a breatho
14. Bottle-O Liquor shop – a place to buy alcohol. These can be stand alone stores or drive – through stores.
15. Breatho – when you are tested for your alcohol limit
16. Brekky – Breakfast
17. Brolly – Umbrella
18. Budgie Smugglers – men’s swimming trunks. Also known as a speedo (not to be confused with speedometer)
19. Buggered – When something is broken or not working. People also can use it to mean tired. Also see rooted or stuffed.
20. Juice –  petrol, or fuel
21. Choccas – when something is full. Can also be used in the statement choca block
22. Biccy – a biscuit or a cookie
23. Chook – chicken
24. Chrissie – Christmas
25. Cobber – a very good friend or mate
26. Coldie – a shortened version of our number 1.
27. Coppers – policemen
28. Crikey – made internationally famous by Steve Irwin, it is an expression of surprise
29. Crook – used to explain feeling unwell or sick e.g “I’m crook“. It can also be a criminal “he’s a crook“
30. Down the road: this is often used between short and long distances, so don’t take it literally! Down the road could be a few stores down, or then next town….100 kilometres away!
31. Deadset – a saying meaning “true“
32. Dunny – an outback expression for toilet / WC/ bathroom.
33. Esky – an insulated box to keep things cold
34. Flat out – a saying for meaning “really busy“
35. Footy – in Australia, when footy or football is mentioned it is referring to Aussie Rules football. Can also be referred to as AFL (the main competition in the country, Australian Football League). However, in Queensland and New South Wales, you may find that footy or football is referring to rugby. It is probably unlikely that anyone is referring to soccer (but I can’t promise that)
36. Going off – a statement used when it is busy, or a place has lots of people
37. Good On Ya – good work
38. Hard yakka – hard work
39. Heaps – meaning a lot, or many. May be heard as part of a saying “heaps good” meaning really good.
40. Hoon – a very bad driver, or someone driving too fast or irresponsibly
41. Iffy – something that is not quite right
42. Lollies – sweets or candy
43. Maccas – the abbreviated term for McDonalds
44. Mate – friend
45. Mozzie – mosquito
46. No Dramas – meaning “not a problem“, “no worries“, “it’s OK”.
47. No Worries – as above
48. Outback – referring to the interior of Australia.
49. Out Bush – even more remote that the Outback
50. Reckon – meaning “think or opinion. E.g “I reckon the team will win“.
51. Rego – vehicle registration
52. Ripper – a word meaning awesome or fantastic. Eg. “you little ripper“.
53. Rooted – a word to describe being tired. Can also be meaning broken. Similar to buggered or stuffed.
54. Sanger – sandwich
55. Servo – a service station or gas station. Somewhere to get fuel.
56. Sheila – an term meaning woman
57. Sickie – when you take a day off work, not necessarily meaning you are sick. E.g “taking a sickie“
58. Snag – a sausage
59. Stoked – meaning you are happy or pleased about something
60. Straya – how some people say Australia
61. Stuffed – a word meaning tired or broken. See also buggered or rooted.
62. Sunnies – sunglasses
63. Ta – meaning please or thanks
64. Tea – dinner time. Still means “tea” that you drink (or that could be referred to as a cuppa)
65. Thongs – shoes like flip flops
66. Tucker – referring to food
67. U-E – pronounced ‘you-eee’. This is when you do a u-turn when driving.
68. Ute – a utility vehicle similar to a pick-up truck
69. Windscreen – a term for windshield.
70. Woop Woop – referring to being in the middle of nowhere. E.g “he lives out woop woop”

Final Thoughts

I am sure you are now more confused than ever! However with this handy list of Aussie slang you can be that little bit more prepared for your Australian road trip and vacation. I have created a printable / downloadable list of these handy terms just for you. While my Resources page is under construction, please email me if you would like a copy.

What is your favourite saying from the list? Is there one you know that is missing? Let me know in the comments.